Retrospective study of impact of body mass index and type 2 diabetes mellitus on immune checkpoint inhibitors efficacy in melanoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved survival outcomes in melanoma. A retrospective study at four centers in Boston/Cambridge (MA) investigated the impact of body mass index (BMI) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) on survival outcomes with ICIs for melanoma. The study included 2,078 patients who received ICIs for melanoma. There were 1412 patients with overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m²) and 215 patients with T2D. After propensity-score matching (666 patients with overweight compared with 666 patients without overweight), overweight patients had longer overall survival than patients without overweight (median 67.7 versus 36.7 months; p<0.001). Patients with T2D had worse overall survival compared with patients without T2D (median 28.5 versus 67.3 months; p<0.001). Overweight patients without T2D had the best survival outcomes. The authors conclude that among patients receiving ICIs for melanoma, overweight was associated with better survival outcomes, whereas T2D was associated with worse survival outcomes.